2. Death is at work, cutting him down; hewing both bark and heart, both body and soul asunder. The man groans, but Death hears him not; he looks ghastly, carefully, dejectedly; he sighs, he sweats, he trembles-Death matters nothing. 3. Fearful cogitations haunt him; misgivings, direful apprehensions of God terrify him. Now he hath time to think what the loss of heaven will be, and what the torments of hell will be; now he looks no way but he is frighted. 4. Now would he live, but may not; he would live though it were but the life of a bed-rid man, but must not. He that cuts him down, sways him, as the feller of woods sways the tottering tree; now this way, then that; at last a root breaks, a heart-string, an eyestring snaps asunder! 5. And now, could the soul be annihilated, or brought to nothing, how happy would it count itself! But it sees that may not be. Wherefore it is put to a wonderful strait. Stay in the body it may not; go out of the body it dares not! Life is going; the blood settles in the flesh, and the lungs being no more able to draw breath through the nostrils, at last out goes the weary trembling soul, and is immediately seized by devils, who lie lurking in every hole in the chamber for that very purpose. His friends take care of the body, and wrap it up in the sheet or coffin; but the soul is out of their thought and reach, going down to the chambers of death! I had thought to have enlarged, but I forbear. God, who teaches man to profit, bless this brief and plain discourse to thy soul, who yet standest a professor in the land of the living, among the trees of His garden! Amen. DISCOURSE EIGHTEENTH. JOHN HOWE, M.A. THIS valuable writer, and able divine, was born the same month as was Charles the Second, viz.: May, 1630, at Loughborough, of which pace his father was minister, but lost his benefice from his attachment to the Puritans. The son was sent early to Cambridge, and afterward to Oxford, where he was elected Fellow of Magdalen College. When preaching at Great Torrington, he visited London; and Cromwell making his acquaintance, insisted upon his becoming his chaplain at Whitehall. He reluctantly consented; and after Cromwell's death continued a few months in the service of his son Richard, and then returned to his people at Torring ton, where he labored till the Act of Uniformity passed, soon after which he retired, a silenced Non-conformist, and was doomed to imprisonment for two years in the Isle of St. Nichols. From his release, till removing to Ireland in 1671, where he acted as chaplain to Lord Masserene, he preached only occasionally. Upon his return to London, about 1675, he labored as minister with great success. With some interruptions he preached in this city to select and appreciative audiences, until his sun went down in mildness of glory, April 2d, 1705, in the 75th year of his age. The contemplation of Howe inspires us with the sentiment of the sublime. He was in all respects a great man; having, as Calamy says, "a strong head, a warm heart, and a good bodily constitution." His mind was eminently philosophical, and enriched with immense stores of learning. At the age of twenty-two he had read a thorough course of philosophy, many of the heathen moralists, the writings of the schoolmen, thoroughly studied the Scriptures, and drawn up a complete body of divinity. The principal work of Howe is his "Living Temple,” a production distinguished by great erudition and compass of thought, by metaphysical acumen and glowing eloquence. His works called "God's Prescience," "Vanity of Man," as mortal, "Redeemer's Tears," and the "Blessings of the Righteous," etc., are justly celebrated. The former is highly commended by R. Hall, who said he had learned more from Howe than from any other author. (Works, III., 78.) All the writings of this author exhibit much of nice discrimination, elevated thought, profound reasoning, devout feeling and fervent appeal. His style is often heavy and involved, not unfrequently harsh and obscure; and he abounds in the tedious divisions and sub-divisions common in his age. So that to find his massive unwrought gold, one must labor somewhat; but, nevertheless, it richly repays for the search. Baxter may be read when the mind is dull; but not so with Howe. The one, dwelling in the place of thunder, and rushing forth to arouse a sleeping world, will stir the inmost soul, however indisposed to emotion. The other, delighting in the contemplative, profound, and elevated, bears a calm, unruffled aspect, and imparts to the attentive mind his own tranquil thoughts, and bright visions of God, and the blessed ones in heaven. The following is from a discourse that is overgrown in size, but full of tenderness and power of appeal. It was difficult to make the necessary abridgment; but less so in this than any other discourse of equal merit. We begin at the second division; the first, things necessary to be known etc., having been already treated of. THE REDEEMER'S TEARS OVER LOST SOULS "And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes."-LUKE, xix. 41, 42. Such as live under the Gospel have a day, or a present opportunity, for the obtaining the knowledge of those things immediately belonging to their peace, and of whatsoever is besides necessary thereunto. I say nothing what opportunities they have who never lived under the Gospel, who yet no doubt might generally know more than they do, and know better what they do know. It suffices us who enjoy the Gospel to understand our own advantages thereby. Nor, as to those who do enjoy it, is every one's day of equal clearness. How few, in comparison, have ever seen such a day as Jerusa lem at this time did! made by the immediate beams of the Sun of Righteousness! our Lord Himself vouchsafing to be their Instructor, so speaking as never man did, and with such authority as far outdid their other teachers, and astonished the hearers. In what transports did He use to leave those that heard Him, wheresoever He came, wondering at the gracious words that came out of His mouth! And with what mighty and beneficial works was He wont to recommend His doctrine, shining in the glorious power and savoring of the abundant mercy of Heaven, so that every apprehensive mind might see the Deity was incarnate. God was come down to entreat with men, and allure them into the knowledge and love of Himself. The Word was made flesh. What unprejudiced mind might not perceive it to be so? He was there manifested and vailed at once; both expressions are made concerning the same matter. The divine beams were somewhat obscured, but did yet ray through that vail; so that His glory was beheld as the glory of the only-begotten Son of His Father, full of grace and truth. This Sun shone with a mild and benign, but with a powerful, vivifying light. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. Such a light created unto the Jews this their day. Happy Jews, if they had understood their own happiness! And the days that followed to them (for awhile) and the Gentile world, were not inferior, in some respects brighter and more glorious (the more copious gift of the Holy Ghost being reserved. unto the crowning and enthroning of the victorious Redeemer), when the everlasting Gospel flew like lightning to the uttermost ends of the earth, and the word which began to be spoken by the Lord Himself was confirmed by them that heard Him, God also Himself bearing them witness with signs, and wonders, and gifts of the Holy Ghost. No such day hath been seen this many an age. Yet whithersoever this same Gospel, for substance, comes, it also, makes a day of the same kind, and affords always true though diminished light, whereby, however, the things of our peace might be understood and known. The written Gospel varies not, and if it be but simply and plainly proposed (though to some it be proposed with more advantage, to some with less, yet) still we have the same things immediately relating to our peace extant before our eyes. * But you will say, Shall all then that live under the Gospel obtain this grace and holy life? Or if they shall not, or if, so far as can be collected, inultitudes do not, or, perhaps, in some places that enjoy the Gospel, very few do, in comparison of those that do not, what am I better, when, perhaps, it is far more likely that I shall perish, notwithstanding, than be saved? In answer to this, it must be acknowledged that all that live under the Gospel do not obtain life and saving grace by it. For then there had been no occasion for this lamentation of our blessed Lord over the perishing inhabitants of Jerusalem, as having lost their day, and that the things of their peace were now hid from their eyes; and by that instance it appears too possible that even the generality of a people. living under the Gospel may fall at length into the like forlorn and hopeless condition. But art thou a man that thou objectest? A reasonable, understanding creature? Or dost thou use the reason and * * * * understanding of a man in objecting thus? Didst thou object that when thine own willful transgression had made thee liable to eternal death and wrath, peace, and life, and salvation should be imposed upon thee whether thou wouldst or no, or notwithstanding thy most willful neglect and contempt of them and all the means of them? Could it enter into thy mind that a reasonable soul should be wrought and framed for that high and blessed end, whereof it is radically capable, as a stock or a stone is for any use it is designed for, without designing its own end or way to it? Couldst thou think the Gospel was to bring thee to faith and repentance, whether thou didst hear it or no? or ever apply thy mind to consider the meaning of it, and what it did propose and offer to thee? or when thou mightest easily understand that the grace of God was necessary to make it effectual to thee, and that it might become His power (or the instrument of His power) to thy salvation, couldst thou think it concerned thee not to sue and supplicate to Him for that grace? when thy life lay upon it, and thy eternal hope? Hast thou lain weltering at the footstool of the throne of grace in thine own tears (as thou hast been formerly weltering in thy sins and impurities), crying for grace to help thee in this time of thy need? And if thou thinkest this was above thee and without thy compass, hast thou done all that was within thy compass in order to the obtaining of grace at God's hands? * * * * This day hath its bounds and limits, so that when it is over and lost with such, the things of their peace are forever hid from their eyes. And that this day is not infinite and endless, we see in the present instance. Jerusalem had her day; but that day had its period, we see it comes to this at last, that now the things of her peace are hid from her eyes. We generally see the same thing, in that sinners are so earnestly pressed to make use of the present time. To-day if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. They are admonished to seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him when He is nigh. It seems some time He will not be found, and will be afar off. They are told this is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation. As it is certain death ends the day of grace with every unconverted person, so it is very possible that it may end with divers before they die; by their total loss of all external means, or by the departure of the blessed Spirit of God from them; so as to return and visit them no more. How the day of grace may end with a person, is to be understood by considering what it is that makes up and constitutes such a day. There must become measure and proportion of time to * * * * |